


A Patch of Green In the Sea of Unconsciousness

by Kato_Jiku



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball, Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Crossover, Gen, Murder Mystery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-23
Updated: 2015-10-15
Packaged: 2018-04-23 00:22:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4856159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kato_Jiku/pseuds/Kato_Jiku
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Midorima Shintaro has to move into a small town called Inaba for a year due to his parents' work. When a murder mystery makes itself known and a strange fog engulfs this quiet town, it's up to Shintaro and his friends to solve this mystery before it's too late.</p><p>Originally posted on Tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Monday, April 11, 2011

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be a Persona 4 AU with much of the original cast being replaced by Kuroko no Basuke characters. I’ve been wanting to write this for a long time, and I finally got around to writing it. As of right now, I don’t have any set pairings thought out yet, but I’ll be happy to hear some of your opinions as this story goes on!

Midorima Shintaro woke up with a start, heavily disoriented from the strange dream he had just experienced. All he could remember was having his fortune read in a room that suspiciously resembled the interior of a limousine, which had much of its contents colored a deep blue. “The Velvet Room” was what Igor, the strange, long-nosed man from his dream, had called it. Aside from Igor and Shintaro himself, there was one other person in the Velvet Room who sat to Igor’s left. She was a mature-looking young woman with wavy, platinum-blond hair and piercing gold eyes. Margaret was her name, and she was Igor’s assistant in helping Shintaro prepare for the events of the coming year, whatever they may be…

Shintaro was relieved to find he was still aboard his train bound to a small, rural town in literally the middle of nowhere. Why in the world his parents would even think he could survive in a place like that for a year was beyond him, but he guessed he just had to grin and bear it. Just for a year. Maybe even less if his parents’ work permitted it. The green-haired teen inwardly scoffed. Yeah, like that would happen. His parents were complete workaholics who spared no time to care for their only child. Throughout his childhood and now half of his teenage years, Shintaro was looked after by many different relatives, but none of them were his parents. He couldn’t even remember his parents’ faces due to the very scarce amounts of times he saw them. Such kind and loving parents they are, huh?

A voice on the intercom announced that the train was reaching Yasoinaba Station, and Shintaro got his belongings ready to get off at the next stop.

* * *

 

Yasoinaba Station was exactly as he thought it would be: completely and utterly deserted. Shintaro just knew his year here was going to be a long and boring one. He hoped he could find at least some way to keep himself entertained in this small town.

Just as he got down the steps leading to the parking lot, a voice called out to him. “Hey! Over here!”

Shintaro’s head turned towards the voice in question, noticing a middle-aged man with dark hair waving to him. When Shintaro walked closer, he noticed a small girl, who looked to be six or seven, peeking from around the man’s legs.

“Well, you’re more handsome in person than in your photo,” the man states with a smile. “Welcome to Inaba. I’m Dojima Ryotaro. I’ll be looking after you. Let’s see… I’m your mother’s younger brother… and that about sums it up.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Shintaro says with a polite bow.

Dojima scratches the back of his head. “Heh. You probably don’t remember, but we’ve met. I’ve changed your diapers before, you know.”

 _Well, that isn’t the most embarrassing thing you could hear from your uncle_ , Shintaro thought sarcastically, keeping his practiced smile frozen on his face.

Dojima then turns to the young girl standing behind him and gently nudges her in Shintaro’s direction. “This here’s my daughter. Come on, Nanako, introduce yourself to your cousin.”

Nanako kept silent for a while before barely making eye-contact with her significantly taller cousin, uttering a small “…’lo,” and retreating back behind her father’s legs. Now, if _that_ didn’t spell adorable, Shintaro wasn’t sure _what_ did.

Dojima chuckled as he looked over at Nanako. “What’re you so shy for?”

He was answered with an angered slap to his leg which only made him laugh heartily. Nanako looked away from him with a pout.

“Well then… let’s get going. My car’s over there,” Dojima says, motioning to his car.

Shintaro made to follow his newly introduced relatives when a passing girl who looked about his age stopped him. “…Hey.” She picked a folded piece of paper up off the ground and held it out to him. “You dropped this.”

“Oh, thank you,” he says taking the piece of paper from her. Upon further inspection, he realized it was the note he made for himself with Dojima’s address before boarding his train.

“Whatever. All I did was pick it up,” said the girl, crossing her arms. She then walked away, ignoring how Shintaro was still staring after her.

“What’s wrong?” Dojima called from a distance away, and Shintaro finally turned away from the girl’s retreating back and made his way to Dojima’s car.

* * *

 

Before making its way to the Dojima residence, the car had to make a stop at the gas station at the south end of the shopping district (to Shintaro’s chagrin, it was just one road). A gas station attendant ran out to the car just as it pulled in. “Hi! Welcome to Moel!”

Dojima turned to Nanako, who was in the back seat. “Can you go to the bathroom by yourself?”

The small girl nods before getting out of the car. Dojima gets out as well to talk to the attendant.

“It’s in the back, to your left,” the attendant says to Nanako. “You know which way’s left? The side you don’t hold your chopsticks in.”

“I know… Geez…” Nanako replies, a tad annoyed as she went inside.

Shintaro found this time to step out of the car himself.

“Are you taking a trip?” the attendant asks Dojima.

“No, we just went to pick him up,” he replies, gesturing towards Shintaro. “He just moved here from the big city.”

“The city, huh?” the gas station attendant parrots as they look over at Shintaro.

“Fill up my car while you’re at it. Regular’s fine,” Dojima tells the attendant.

“Right away, Sir!” they say enthusiastically.

Dojima walks off at that, muttering, “Good time as any for a smoke…”

The attendant then turns their attention to Shintaro. “Are you in high school?” Shintaro merely nods at the question. “Does it surprise a city boy to see how little there is out here? There’s so little to do, I’m sure you’ll get bored fast. You’ll either be hanging out with your friends or doing part-time jobs. Speaking of which, we’re actually looking for part-time help right now.” The attendant then steps closer to Shintaro, extending their hand. “Give it some thought, why don’t you? We don’t mind if you’re a student.”

Shintaro shakes their hand more out of obligation than anything else. “I’ll think about it. Thanks.”

A moment later, Nanako comes running back, and the gas station attendant is reminded of the job they were supposed to be doing. “Oh, I should get back to work.”

When the attendant runs off, Nanako looks over to Shintaro. At that moment, a wave of dizziness passes over him, and he had to clutch his head in pain for a second. Nanako notices this and quickly runs over to him.

“…Are you okay?” Nanako asks with concern clearly written on her face. “Did you get carsick? You don’t look too good…”

“I’ll be alright, Nanako-chan,” Shintaro reassures her with a tiny smile. “It’s probably because I’m tired from the long trip.”

Dojima walks back and quickly takes notice of the sudden paleness of his nephew’s face. “What’s wrong? You okay?”

“I just felt lightheaded,” Shintaro replies.

Dojima nods. “That’s understandable. It must have been a long trip for you. Why not take a little walk, get some fresh air? Just let me know when you’re ready to go.”

Shintaro nods and turns to walk off. Almost immediately, he notices the dark-haired girl he met at the train station earlier. She wore a sleeveless button-down with a solid black tie over a red-plaid miniskirt with fingerless gloves which extended up to her upper arms. Over her thigh-high black-and-white striped socks, she wore a pair of thick-soled combat boots, and around her waist was a belt with a buckle that took the shape of a winged heart.

The girl noticed Shintaro walking in her direction and looked up at him. “Hm? Have we met before?”

Shintaro’s eye almost twitched. “I met you just now. What were you doing at the station?”

“The station…? Oh, that one time.” Recognition finally dawned on the girl’s face. “…Nothing. I just went. I don’t have anywhere to go.” She then falls silent and stares off into space as she had been doing before Shintaro came over to talk to her.

Deeming it was useless to try and get anything else out of the girl, Shintaro explored the rest of the south-end of the shopping district. Yomenaido Bookstore, Daidara Metalworks, Marukyu Tofu, and Shiroku Store were all the stores that made up the southern shopping district. Of course, there were other stores, but they were all shuttered. As Shintaro walked past Marukyu Tofu, he overheard what sounded to him like a sibling dispute.

“Saki, do you know where my snack went? I had it in the fridge, but it’s gone…”

“Oh, I ate it just now. I thought it was leftovers.”

“ _What!?_ No, it wasn’t leftovers! I was making sure to save it for later!”

“Oh, really. Sorry ‘bout that. Well, I’m going to work. See ya, Naoki.”

“What!? I was really looking forward to eating it…”

Shaking his head, Shintaro decided to leave them be and made his way back to the gas station.

* * *

 

A three minute drive later and they were finally inside the Dojima residence. It was a small, two-story house, but it had a comfortable, homey feeling to it that Shintaro had no complaints about. He and his uncle and cousin were currently sitting around the table in front of the television in the living room and eating a sushi dinner.

“All right, let’s have a toast,” Dojima declares, and they all lift up their drinks before taking a sip. After setting down his drink, Dojima turns his attention to Shintaro. “So… Your mom and dad are busy as always… They’re working overseas, was it? I know it’s only for a year, but getting stuck in a place like this because of your parents… It’s rough being a kid. Well, it’s just me and Nanako here, so it’ll be nice having someone like you around. So long as you’re here, you’re part of the family, so make yourself at home.”

“I’ll do just that,” Shintaro answers.

“Good.” Dojima nods with a smile. “Well, anyway… Let’s eat.” Just as he reached for his food, Dojima’s cell phone rang. “Ugh… Who’s calling at this hour?” He held his phone up to his ear. “…Dojima speaking.” After a while, Dojima stands and steps away, back facing the table. “Yeah? I see… So where is it? …All right, I’m on my way. Looks like I made the right choice to skip the booze…” Hanging up, Dojima turns back to the two sitting at the table. “Sorry, but I gotta go take care of some business. Go ahead and eat without me. I don’t know how late I’ll be. Nanako, you help him out, okay?”

“…Okay.” Nanako looked dejected to see her father leave so soon.

Dojima went to open the front door and was greeted with the pouring rain outside. “Nanako, it’s raining out. What did you do with the laundry!?”

“I already brought it in!”

“…All right. Well, I’m off.” And the door shuts behind Dojima.

After hearing the car’s engine, Nanako flips on the television.

“ _—for this week. Next, let’s take a look at the hourly breakdown of tomorrow’s weather. With storm clouds moving in from the west, expect rain throughout the day tomorrow in most areas._ ”

Nanako turns to her cousin. “Let’s eat.”

As the two began eating, Shintaro figured that now was a good time to start a conversation with Nanako. “What does your dad do?”

“He… investigates stuff. Like crime scenes,” Nanako answers. “My dad’s a detective.”

A jingle sounded from the TV, signaling the start of the local news. “ _And now for the local news. City council secretary Namatame Taro is under fire for an alleged relationship with a female reporter. His wife, enka ballad sensation Hiiragi Misuzu, revealed to this station that she will likely pursue damages. In response, Eye Television has decided to cancel all of announcer Yamano Mayumi’s televised appearances. Until allegations of an affair with Mr. Namatame are resolved, she’ll remain off the air and out of the public eye._ ”

“…This is boring.” Nanako switches the channel.

“ _At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products!_ ” Shintaro inwardly groans, and readies himself for the Junes jingle. “ _Every day’s great at your Junes!_ ”

“Every day’s great at your Junes!” Nanako happily sings along.

Shintaro looks to Nanako in shock, but he isn’t the least bit annoyed with Nanako’s singing. To be honest, he thought she sang the jingle better than the woman in the commercial did. Not to mention, his little cousin looked adorable while singing it.

Nanako’s expression then turned blank as she looked over to Shintaro. “…Aren’t you going to eat?”

Shintaro hurriedly raises his chopsticks and eats his food.

* * *

 

It was the end of the long day, and Shintaro finally retired to his new room. There were many boxes he needed to unpack, but he decided to leave them for tomorrow and headed straight for his futon.

* * *

 

Shintaro found himself kneeling on what looked like a tiled floor. He stood up and looked around, but all he could see was a thick fog shrouding the area.

“Is this… another dream?” he found himself asking.

There was nothing for him to do other than follow the red tiled path, so he set off in a run. As he ran, he thought he heard a voice coming from ahead.

“Do you seek the truth…?”

Shintaro paused for a brief moment, hoping he could hear more, but the voice stopped, and he continued down the path. After a while, he heard the voice again.

“If it’s the truth you desire, come and find me…”

The voice was definitely coming from up ahead, so he continued on in that direction. Finally, Shintaro reached what looked like a red and black portal which he touched, and it opened up into a vast, foggy place. He could see someone in front of him, but it was too foggy for him to make out their features. A katana suddenly appeared in his hands, and he briefly wondered how it got there until the silhouette in front of him spoke.

“So… You are the one pursuing me… Hmhmhm… Try all you like…”

Were they taunting him!? He dashed to the figure and swung the katana. Surprisingly, it connected, but the figure didn’t seem to be in pain.

“Hmmm… It seems that you can see a little, despite the fog…”

This time, Shintaro tried a different method to attack. He focused his thoughts and a glowing blue Tarot card appeared in front of him. As he crushed it in his hand, he felt a rush of power as a translucent, God-like figure appeared in front of him. It sent a bolt of lightning down on the silhouette, but the figure still appeared relatively unharmed.

“I see… Indeed… That is very interesting information…”

Shintaro attacked again with his sword.

“But… You will not catch me so easily… If what you seek is ‘truth,’ then your search will be even harder…”

Suddenly, the fog grew thicker, and Shintaro couldn’t see the figure at all anymore. He adopted a guarding stance then, seeing as he couldn’t really attack in this fog.

“Everyone sees what they want to… And the fog only deepens…”

Shintaro keeps up his guarding stance.

“…Will we meet again…? At a place other than here… Hmhm… I look forward to it…”

And, just like that, Shintaro loses consciousness.


	2. Tuesday, April 12, 2011

It was morning, but Shintaro couldn’t get his eyes to open. He remembered that he had a nightmare… What could it have been about…?

There was a small knock at his door, and Nanako’s muffled voice could be heard through it. “Breakfast’s ready!”

At the sound of his cousin’s voice, Shintaro finally opened his eyes. He had to get ready for his first day at his new school, after all. After finishing is morning routine, he headed to the living room.

Nanako already prepared bacon, eggs, and toast and was carrying the last plate to the dining table. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, Nanako-chan,” Shintaro replied.

They both sat down just as two more pieces of toast popped up from the toaster.

Nanako looked up at her older cousin. “Let’s eat.”

“Do you do the cooking?” Shintaro asked.

Nanako nods. “I can toast bread… and cook sunny-side up eggs in the morning. Dad can’t cook, so I buy dinner.”

Shintaro tried not to show it on his face, but he was worried. It wasn’t healthy to eat take-out every day. Maybe he should try cooking meals…? But he wasn’t that good at cooking either…

Nanako’s voice brought him out of his worrying thoughts. “You’re starting school today, right? My school’s on the way, so… let’s go together.”

Shintaro agrees, and once the two finished breakfast, they set out in the pouring rain. Nanako lead Shintaro to the Samegawa flood plain and then turned to face him.

“You keep going straight from here.” She points down the road before facing the other direction. “My school’s this way. Bye.”

“Bye, Nanako-chan,” Shintaro says with a wave and continues down in the direction his cousin indicated.

When he reached the intersection in front of his school, he heard a shout behind him. When Shintaro turned, he saw a dark-haired student trying to steer on his bicycle with one hand while holding his umbrella in the other. Shintaro frowned as he knew things weren’t going to turn out well for his fellow student…

_Crash!_

…And, sure enough, the other teen crashed his bike into the nearest telephone pole and was now doubled over in pain, bike and umbrella both left forgotten on the ground.  “Ngh… Urrrrghhhh…”

Shintaro looked on in pity. He wished he could help, but he needed to hurry. He shouldn’t be late on the first day, after all.

* * *

 

In a certain classroom at Yasogami High, students were groaning at their unfortunate circumstance.

“Talk about bad luck… The homeroom teacher here is Morooka, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it’s King Moron alright… We get to enjoy his long-ass sermons every day for a whole year…”

“Hey you guys, I heard there’s going to be a transfer student from the city in this class.”

“Huh? Really? A guy or a girl?”

A couple rows away, three other students, were listening in on the conversation.

“A transfer student from the city… Just like you, huh, Kazunari?” the girl with short, brown hair turned to the boy with jet-black hair sitting diagonally behind her with his face flat on his desk and arms stretched forward. “…Huh? You look dead today.”

“Yeah, um… I don’t wanna talk about it…” the boy named Kazunari answers.

The short-haired brunette turned to the pink-haired girl sitting in front of her. “What’s with him?”

The pink-haired girl shrugs. “Who knows?”

The door to the classroom then opens and a male teacher with a bad haircut and huge overbite stomped into the room with a green-haired student trailing behind him. “Awright, shut your traps! I’m Morooka Kinshiro, your homeroom teacher from today forward! First thing’s first! Just ‘cause it’s spring doesn’t mean you can swoon over each other like love-struck baboons. Long as I’m around, you students are going to be pure as the driven snow!”

Much of the class just stared on in silence, not understanding why they were even having this lecture.

“Now I hate wasting my time, but I’d better introduce this transfer student.” Morooka spat out the word “transfer” like it was a curse. “This sad sack’s been thrown from the big city out to the middle of nowhere like yesterday’s garbage. And he’s just as much of a loser here as he was there, so you girls better not get any ideas about hitting on him! Tell ‘em your name, kid, and make it quick.”

Shintaro was nearly fuming as he just got trash-talked by the teacher standing beside him. Normally, he’d keep cool in this sort of situation, but Morooka was a total asshole. “…You calling me a loser?” He could feel a boost in courage as he said those words, and he didn’t even regret them. The rest of the class stared on at him in mortified surprise.

If Morooka wasn’t pissed before, he was now. “Hrnh… That’s it, you’re on my shit list, effective immediately.”

Shintaro felt his swelling pride pop. Okay, maybe he did regret those words a little…

“Now listen up!” _Morooka likes to raise his voice, doesn’t he?_ “This town is miles away from your big city of perverts and assholes, in more ways than one. You better not even think of getting involved with the girls here, let alone abusing them! But what do I know… it’s not like the old days. Even here, kids grow up so damn fast. Every time I turn my back, you’re fooling around on your damn phones, checking your ‘life-journals’ and your ‘my-places’…”

Just as Shintaro felt he might get his ears talked off, a short-haired girl raised her hand. “Excuse me! Is it okay if the transfer student sits here?”

“Huh?” Morooka finally broke off from his long-winding monologue and took notice of what the girl had asked. “Yeah, sure.” He then turns to Shintaro. “Ya hear that? Your seat’s over there. So hurry up and siddown already!”

Shintaro sends the girl a thankful smile, and makes his way over to the empty seat to the girl’s left. “You have my utmost gratitude,” Shintaro whispers to the girl.

“He’s the worst, huh?” she whispers back. “Rotten luck for you to get stuck in this class… Well, we just have to hang in there for a year.”

The rest of the class then talked quietly with each other.

“Sucks to be the transfer student, ending up in King Moron’s class on the first morning here…”

“Yeah, he won’t think twice about suspending you if you get on his bad side. Then again, we’re all in the same boat…”

Morooka must’ve been tired of the chatter at that point, and he raised his voice once more. “Shut your traps! I’m taking roll, and I damn well expect you to respond in an orderly manner!”

Shintaro inwardly sighed. So this was how things were going to be for the rest of the year…

* * *

 

“That’s all for today. Normal lectures start tomorrow,” Morooka states, finally dismissing class.

Before anyone could get out of the room, an announcement sounded on the school intercom. “ _Attention, all teachers. Please report to the faculty office for a brief staff meeting. All students must return to their classrooms and are not to leave the school until further notice._ ”

Morooka turned to the class. “Hrnh. You heard the announcement. Don’t go anywhere until you hear otherwise.” With that said, he stomped his way out of the room.

“He’s seriously getting on my nerves…” one of the pair of girls standing to Shintaro’s left said quietly.

The sound of police sirens could be heard from outside, and a few students ran to the window for a glimpse.

“Did something happen? Don’t those sirens sound really close? Ugh, I can’t see a damn thing. Frickin’ fog…”

“Yeah, like every time it rains lately, it gets all foggy.”

“Hey, did you hear? I hear that paparazzi’s looking all over for that announcer.”

“Oh yeah. You mean Yamano Mayumi, right? I heard some guys spotted her at the shopping district.”

“Actually, I heard that…” The student then whispers something to the other.

The other student then turns to his friend incredulously. “Are you serious!?” He looks over to the girl with pink hair and walks over to her. “H-hey, Satsuki-san. Mind if I ask you something…? Is it true that announcer’s staying at your family’s inn?”

“I can’t discuss such things,” was her only reply.

“Y-yeah, I guess not.” The student then runs back over to the window as a short haired girl in a green track jacket makes her way over to Satsuki.

“Sheesh, how much longer is this gonna take?” the girl asks.

“There’s no telling,” Satsuki answers.

The short-haired girl sighed in annoyance. “I shoulda left before the announcement came on… By the way, didja try what I told you the other day?” Satsuki only gave her a confused expression. “You know… That thing about rainy nights…”

Satsuki gives her friend an apologetic look. “Oh… No, not yet. Sorry.”

The girl nods understandingly. “Ahhh, that’s okay. It’s just, I heard a guy in the class next door yell something like, ‘My soulmate is Yamano, the announcer!’”

The school intercom came to life a moment after. “ _Attention, all students. There has been an incident inside the school district. Police officers have been dispatched around the School Zone. Please stay calm and contact your parents or guardians as soon as possible, and quickly leave the school grounds. Do not disturb the police officers. Head directly home. I repeat…_ ”

The students’ chatter then drowned out the rest of the announcement.

“‘Incident’!?”

“What, something actually happened?”

“C’mon, let’s go take a look!”

As Shintaro stood up to leave, the short-haired girl who sat beside him and the pink-haired girl who sat in front of her made their way over to talk to him.

“Hey, are you going home by yourself? Why don’t you come with us?” the girl with short hair wearing a green track jacket asked. “Oh, nearly forgot! I’m Aida Riko. You know I sit next to you, right?”

Shintaro nods. “Of course. I’m Midorima Shintaro.”

“Well, nice to meet you!” Riko replies in a friendly manner. She then gestures to the pink-haired girl, who was wearing a red cardigan over her sailor uniform, standing next to her. “This is Momoi Satsuki.”

Satsuki gives Shintaro a bow. “Oh, nice to meet you… I’m sorry that this is so sudden…”

“C’mon, don’t’ apologize like that. It makes me look like I got no upbringing,” Aida tells her. “I just wanted to ask some stuff. Really, that’s all.”

As the three made their way to the door, a black-haired boy with orange headphones hanging around his neck (Shintaro recognized him as the one who crashed his bike that morning) stopped them. He was holding what looked like a DVD case in his hands. “Uh, um, Miss Aida…? This was really awesome. Like, the way they moved was just amazing to see…”

 _Uh-oh…_ Shintaro thought. _Something must’ve happened to the DVD…_

The student then bowed at a ninety degree angle, holding the DVD case out to Riko. “And… I’m really sorry! It was an accident! Please just have mercy until my next paycheck!” When Riko took the case from him, he stood upright again. “See ya! Thanks!” The student then tried to make his escape.

Keyword: Tried.

“Stop right there! What did you do to my DVD!?” Riko ran after him and stopped him by kicking him square in the crotch.

Shintaro winced at the sound that made. That definitely had to hurt…

“Argh!” The boy doubled over in pain, much like he had that very morning.

Riko then opened her DVD case and gasped at what was inside. “What the!? I can’t believe this! It’s completely cracked… My ‘Trial of the Dragon’…!”

“I think mine’s cracked too… C-critical hit to the nads…” the male says, still bent over in pain.

“A-are you all right?” Satsuki asks, worried.

The black-haired male tilts his head up to look at Satsuki with a weak smile. “Oh, Satsuki-san… Are you worried about me…?”

“He’s fine, Satsuki. Let’s ditch him and go home,” Riko says angrily, stuffing the DVD case in her bag before leaving the room and dragging Satsuki along with her.

Shintaro was now feeling a sense of déjà vu as he stood staring at the doubled-over student. He places a hand on the student’s shoulder and mutters, “My condolences…” before turning and following after the two girls.

* * *

 

Shintaro, Satsuki, and Riko all arrived at the school gate when a male student wearing an unfamiliar school uniform walked up to them. He completely ignored Shintaro and Riko and stared directly at Satsuki with dead-looking eyes. “You’re Satsu, right? Y-you want to go hang out somewhere?”

Satsuki seemed a little frightened by the male’s approach and backed away a little. “What…? Wh-who are you?”

A few students started to gather behind them.

“What’s up with him? What school’s he from?”

“Never mind that, he’s going for Satsuki-san? Man, you’d think he’d wait until she’s alone to make his move…”

“I bet you a can of TaP he gets knocked out.”

“No bet. Haven’t you heard how difficult the Momoi Challenge is?”

“Um, s-so… are you coming or not?” the unfamiliar student asks.

Satsuki shakes her head. “I-I’m not going…”

When the student tries to reach for Satsuki, Shintaro steps out in front of her, glaring down his bespectacled nose at the shorter male. “You heard what she said. You better leave right now.”

The male student looked frightened for a moment before he narrowed his eyes. “…Fine!” he says angrily and runs off.

When he was finally out of view, Satsuki spoke up. “Wh-what did he want from me…?”

“What did he want…? Obviously, he was asking you out on a date,” Riko answers.

Satsuki made a surprised face. “Huh? Really…?”

Riko stared at her in disbelief. “You really had no clue? Sheesh… But then again, that was way over the top. It was creepy how he called you Satsu all of a sudden.”

The sound of a squeaky bike reached their ears, and they all turned to see the student Riko kicked before in their classroom. “Yo, Satsuki-san. Turned down another lovelorn fool, huh? Man, you’re cruel… You got me the same way last year.”

Satsuki seemed confused. “I don’t recall doing that.”

The boy’s face almost lit up at that. “Whoa, you serious? So then, you wanna hang out sometime!?”

Satsuki shakes her head. “…I’d rather not.”

His face fell at the rejection. “That’ll teach me to get my hopes up… Anyways, you two better not pick on the transfer student too much.” He swung his leg over his bike and rode off.

“We’re just curious is all!” Riko yells after him.

Satsuki then turns to Shintaro. “U-um, I’m sorry for dragging you into this… And thank you for what you did earlier.”

Shintaro gives her a small smile in return. “It’s no problem at all.”

A few more students started gathering around behind them, and Riko visibly panicked. “C’mon, let’s go. Everyone’s staring.” With that, the three set off down the road leading away from school.

As they walked, the two girls asked Shintaro a couple questions like why he had to move into Inaba, and Shintaro answered them truthfully.

“Ah… so you came here because of your parents’ job. Haha, I thought it was something way more serious,” Riko says, stopping on the side of the road. She looked out at the rice paddy out to their right before turning back to Shintaro. “There really is nothing here, huh? That’s what makes it nice, but there is nothing much we can show to people from outside. Though, there is something from Mt. Yasogami… I think our dyed clothes or pottery or something is kinda famous. Oh wait, and there’s the Momoi Inn! Satsuki’s family runs it. It’s the pride of Inaba!”

“Huh?” Satsuki fidgets uncomfortably. “It’s… just an old inn.”

“No way, it’s been in all sortsa magazines as a hidden treasure,” Riko argues. “It’s a great inn! It’s been going for generations, and Satsuki here is going to take over someday.” Riko puffs out her chest with pride while Satsuki visibly grew more and more uncomfortable. “Their inn actually attracts a lot of visitors to Inaba. It pretty much keeps this town going.”

“I don’t think that’s entirely true,” Satsuki argues, a little frustrated.

Riko then turns a mischievous smile in Shintaro’s direction. “So, tell me. You think Satsuki’s cute, huh?”

Shintaro opted to remain silent, but the slight reddening of his ears gave him away.

“Whoa! Are you blushing?” Riko starts to giggle.

Satsuki looks away, embarrassed. “Come on… Don’t start this again…”

Riko ignores her. “She’s really popular at school, but she’s never had a boyfriend. Kinda weird, huh?”

Satsuki rounds on Riko, a heavy blush on her face. “C-come on, stop it.” Satsuki’s eyes then meet Shintaro’s. “Y-you shouldn’t believe that, okay? It’s not true that I’m popular or that I’ve never had a boyfriend! Wait, n-no! What I meant to say was, I-I don’t need a boyfriend! Geez… Riko!”

Riko laughs aloud. “Sorry, I’m sorry. But this is our chance to talk to someone from the big city, and you barely said a word!” Riko then tilts her head as she noticed something in the distance. “Hey, what’s that?”

They all walk over to a road that’s been closed off by police cars. A few of the locals were gathered around, gossiping.

“So that high schooler left school early, and as she came down this street…”

“Wow. Who could imagine _that_ hanging from an antenna?”

“I wanted to see it too.”

“Uh, you got here too late… The police and fire department took it down just a moment ago.”

“Well I think it’s terrifying. I can’t believe a dead body showed up around here…”

Riko looked startled. “What did she just say? A dead body!?”

Shintaro then noticed his uncle walking towards the crowd of people. Dojima seemed to have noticed him as well, and made his way over. “Hey, what’re you doing here?”

“We’re just passing by,” Shintaro answered truthfully.

“Huh… I should’ve figured that’d happen.” Dojima seemed frustrated. “That damn principal. We told him to let them though here…”

“…You know this guy?” Riko asked.

Shintaro nods. “He’s my uncle.”

“I’m Detective Dojima,” Dojima says, scratching the back of his head. “Uhh… Well, how should I say this… I hope you get along with him. But you three really ought to stop wandering around and head straight home.”

As Dojima was about to head back to investigate the crime scene, a younger-looking detective pushed past them and began throwing up on the side of the road.

Dojima began to shout at the younger detective. “Hanamiya! How long are you going to act like a rookie? You want to be sent back to the central office!?”

Detective Hanamiya tried to straighten himself up. “I-I’m sorry… Nhgh…”

Dojima sighs. “Go wash your face. We’re gonna go gather information!” He turns and walks back, Hanamiya following closely behind.

“Was this what that announcement was about…?” Riko asked as they were left alone again.

“What do they mean… it was hanging from the antenna…?” Satsuki looks down at the ground in thought.

Riko then turns to Satsuki. “Hey, Satsuki…? Why don’t we go to Junes some other time?”

Satsuki nods. “Good idea…”

Riko nods, and turns to Shintaro. “Alright then, we’re taking off. Starting tomorrow, neighbor, let’s do our best!” At Shintaro’s nod, Satsuki and Riko wave goodbye as they leave.

The green-haired teen looks after them for a while before heading home himself.

* * *

 

That evening, Shintaro and his little cousin were sitting at the table in front of the television which was currently showing the news.

“I wonder if Dad’s not coming home tonight…” Nanako stares dejectedly at her juice box on the table.

Shintaro was about to say something to comfort her when the announcer on the television started on another news report.

“ _Our top story this evening concerns a bizarre case in a quiet suburb. Around noon today, a woman was found dead near the Samegawa River in Inaba._ ” Shintaro immediately recognized the area that was being shown on the TV. He just walked by there with Satsuki and Riko! “ _The deceased has been identified as Ms. Yamano Mayumi, a 27-year-old announcer at the local television station. The initial results of the Inaba Police Department’s investigation have revealed…_ ”

“Ah! The Inaba Police Department! Th-That’s where Dad works!” Nanako exclaims.

“Are you worried about him, Nanako-chan?” Midorima asks the small girl.

Nanako shakes her head. “…Uh-uh. It’s his job, so things like this happen.”

“ _The body was found hanging from a large television antenna atop a local resident’s roof. Authorities are uncertain as to why the body was in such a state. With the cause of death also uncertain, police continue to investigate whether the death is an accident or a homicide. A thick fog common to the area has slowed their progress, and plans to fully canvass the area are delayed until tomorrow._ ”

“They found her on the roof? That’s scary…” Nanako shivers at the thought. When the news switched to a commercial break, Nanako was delighted to see it was about Junes. “Oh, it’s Junes!”

“ _At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day! Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products! Every day’s great at your Junes!_ ”

“Every day’s great at your Junes!” Nanako chimes in and then looks expectantly at Shintaro.

“Y-your Junes!” Shintaro sings, albeit a bit quietly.

Nanako looked pleased. “You memorized it already? I’m the best one in my class!” She then proceeded to sing the Junes jingle over and over again. Shintaro was glad that her mind was taken off the murder. That’s not something a six-year-old should think about.


	3. Wednesday, April 13, 2011

On his way to school that cloudy morning, Shintaro watched the raven-haired student from yesterday whizz by on his bicycle…

_Crash!_

…only to crash his way into a trash can. Shintaro merely stared on in bewilderment. Was this… going to be an everyday thing…? Sighing, he makes his way over to the student who was now rolling around in the trash can.

“S-someone…” the boy pleads as he is obviously trying (and failing) to get himself out.

Shintaro shakes his head at how ridiculous this situation seemed “All right, I’ll get you out. Just… stop moving for a bit.”

The boy complies, and Shintaro was able to pull him out within a couple seconds.

Once he was pulled out, the boy smiles brightly up at Shintaro after straightening himself and his bike. “Whew, you saved me. Thanks! Umm… Oh yeah, that’s right. You’re that transfer student, Midorima Shintaro. I’m Takao Kazunari. Nice to meet ya.”

“Are you okay?” Shintaro asks. “That collision sounded pretty nasty. Especially with you going at that speed.”

“Oh yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” Kazunari smiles, waving off Shintaro’s concern before his face turned serious. “Say, did you hear about the incident from yesterday? They found that announcer lady hanging from an antenna! You think it’s some kinda warning? There’s no way something that weird could’ve been an accident.”

“I think you might be right,” Shintaro agrees.

“Dangling a dead body over a roof like that… That’s just messed up.” Kazunari shivers at the thought. “Then again, it’s pretty messed up to kill someone in the first place.” He stares down at his bicycle and notices the time showing on his wristwatch. “Oh crap, we’re late! You wanna ride? It’s a little squeaky, but it should be fine.”

Shintaro gives Kazunari a look of distrust. “Considering how you crashed your bike two days in a row now… I don’t think so. Plus… isn’t it against the law for two people to be riding on the same bike?”

Kazunari’s face fell. “But… you wanna get to school on time, right?” Shintaro couldn’t deny that, but said nothing. The shorter boy then pulled the most irresistible puppy-face. “C’mon, please? Just this once? I promise this’ll be the only time. You can even hit me later if we crash.”

One look at that face and Shintaro felt his resolve crumble. “…Fine.” _Damn you, Kazunari…_

* * *

 

Surprisingly, the two were able to get to their class unscathed and on time, but Shintaro swore that single bike ride took a few years off his life span. How was Kazunari still alive and breathing when he handled a bike that recklessly!? He should be illegal!

“Well, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Kazunari asked with a cheeky wink, sitting down at his desk behind Shintaro’s.

“That bike ride was the most terrifying thing that has ever happened in my life,” Shintaro states bluntly as he takes his seat. “The next time you ask to give me a ride, I’m throwing you into the Samegawa River.”

Kazunari gives an amused chuckle. “Fine, fine. I’ll never ask you again… old man.”

Shintaro turns in his seat. “What did you just call me!?”

The dark-haired male merely laughs aloud, earning a glare from a more than pissed Morooka who just walked into the room.

“Be quiet, you idiots! You guys _are_ in high school, aren’t you!? Can’t you shut up during class? Don’t you have any common sense? First of all, my job is to waste my precious time teaching you assholes philosophy! And since I’m so nice… I’ll straighten up your rotten attitudes while I’m at it! Aren’t you honored!? And I’ll be going especially hard on any of you morons that’re curious about the murder! Got it!? Now, get your books out!”

…and Morooka’s winding lecture begins. At least Shintaro felt a bit smarter by the end of it.

* * *

 

When school was finally over, Kazunari stood up from his desk, took a stretch, and walked over to Shintaro’s desk. “So, you getting used to this place?”

“I guess so,” Shintaro responds with a nod.

“Wow, that was fast.” Kazunari flashes a smile “There isn’t much to do here compared to the big city, but there is that certain… something you can’t get anywhere else. The air’s clean, the food’s great… Oh, do know about the local delicacy?”

Shintaro shakes his head in response. “I don’t.”

“It’s grilled steak, man!” Kazunari laughs. “Like that’s anything special, huh? I know a place where you can get it cheap. Wanna come? You helped me out this morning, so it’s on me.”

Riko chose this time to walk up to them, hands resting on her hips. “What about me, huh? No apologies? My ‘Trial of the Dragon.’”

At this, Kazunari sighs. “You always come around when I’m talking about food…”

Riko turns to Satsuki who looked like she was getting ready to leave. “How about it, Satsuki? Don’t you think he should treat us, too?”

Satsuki stands and then turns to face the other three. “I’ll pass… I don’t want to gain any more weight. I need to help out at the inn today, anyway.”

“Wow, Satsuki-san! You started training to take over the business?” Kazunari asks, amazed.

Satsuki just furrows her brows. “It’s not like that! I’m just helping when it gets busy. Well, I should be on my way.”

As Satsuki leaves, Riko then turns to the remaining two. “Oh well. We should get going too.”

Kazunari seemed taken aback. “Huh? Do I seriously have to treat two people…?”

* * *

 

“ _This_ is the cheap place you were talking about…?” Riko asks, looking around at the Junes food court. “They don’t sell grilled steak here.”

Kazunari set down the tray of food he ordered from one of the vendors and sits down. “Yeah, well, once you hopped on the freeloader train, I had to change plans.”

“Still, that’s no reason to take us to your place,” Riko shoots back.

“This isn’t my place or anything,” Kazunari argues before noticing the confused look on Shintaro’s face. “Oh, right. I haven’t told you yet, huh? I moved here from another city about six months back. This location just opened up, and my dad was assigned to manage it. So our entire family came out here.” After the explanation, he takes up one of the drinks from the tray he brought. “Here, this is to welcome you into town.”

“Thank you.” Shintaro reaches across the table to grab one of the other drinks on the tray.

“Aida, yours is on me too.”

“Yeah, I know,” she says, taking the last drink.

After making a toast, the group of three then spent the time to make idle small talk.

“It’s only been half a year since this place opened up, but I haven’t been to the local shopping district much since. A lot of stores there started closing, and… Oh, uh…” Riko noticed how Kazunari’s carefree expression turned into a more subdued one and stopped talking.

“…You can’t blame it all on Junes, can you?” he asks her, sighing.

A female worker with ashy-blond hair went to sit down at a seat a few tables away, and Kazunari immediately takes notice of her. “Hey… It’s Saki-senpai! Sorry, be right back.” He stands and goes over to talk to her.

“Who’s that?” Shintaro asks, genuinely curious.

“That’s Konishi Saki,” Riko answers. “Her family runs a liquor store in the shopping district. I think she’s working here part-time, though.”

The two watch as Kazunari starts talking to the girl. “Hey, how’s it going? You look beat.”

Saki gives him a weak smile. “Heeey! I’m finally on break… What’s up, Taka-chan? Boosting the family business by bringing your friends here?”

Kazunari feigns a hurt expression. “Madam, you wound me! Kidding aside… You look down. Did something happen?”

“…It’s nothing. I’m just a little tired.”

“Hey, if you need to talk, I’m always willing to listen. I…” Kazunari furrows his brows. It looked as if he was about to confess something, but Saki cut him off.

“I’m okay. Thanks, though.” Sighing, Saki looks down at her lap. “Why’d I leave school early yesterday…?” Her eyes trailed off, and in doing so, she noticed Shintaro. “Hey… is he the kid who transferred here?” She gets up and approaches their table with Kazunari following behind her. “Are you the transfer student? Oh, did you hear about me already? It must be nice to have someone else from the big city to talk to, huh?” At Shintaro’s nod, she smiles. “I don’t see Taka-chan hanging out with other guys much.”

“Uh—Not necessarily…” Kazunari pipes up.

“He doesn’t have too many friends, so I hope you two get along good,” Saki continues as if he hadn’t said a word. “Taka-chan’s a good guy, but he can get nosy sometimes. You gotta tell him right to his face when he starts to annoy you.”

Shintaro shakes his head. “That isn’t true.”

Saki laughs. “I’m just kidding.”

Kazunari laughs too. “You had me going there, Senpai.”

“Well, my break’s just about over. Back to work I go… Laters!” She gives everyone a wave before walking off.

“Oh, uh, Senpai…!” Kazunari tried calling, but Saki was already out of earshot, so he just sits down. “Hahah, Saki-senpai says I’m annoying, but she’s even nosier than me. She has a younger brother, and she treats me pretty much the same way…”

“Ohhh, you don’t want her treating you like a brother, huh? Haha, I get it… So that’s how it is…” Riko smirks. “The daughter of a local family-run liquor store and the scion of the invading chain… Hoho, the flame of forbidden love!”

Kazunari’s cheeks are glowing by this point. “Wha—? Dude, It’s not like that.”

“Oh, reaaaally…” Riko asks, not believing a word. “Well, I know just the thing to cheer up that lovesick heart. You ever hear of the Midnight Channel? You’re supposed to look into a TV that’s switched off, alone, exactly at midnight on a rainy night. While you’re staring at your own image, another person will appear on the screen… And they say that person’s your soulmate.”

“What?” Kazunari looks a bit let down. “For a second, I thought you were gonna say something useful… How can you get all excited over such a childish urban legend like that?”

“Childish, huh? You don’t believe it, do you!?”

“Of course I don’t!”

“Well, it’s raining tonight! Let’s all try it out—then you’ll see!”

“Try it out…? Wait, you haven’t even tried it yourself!? Wow, I’m trying to remember the last time I heard something this stupid…” Kazunari shakes his head. “All that aside… you know that ‘incident’ yesterday? You guys think it was murder? Ooh, what if the culprit behind it was still lurking around…?”

Riko grimaces. “Sheesh, you shouldn’t joke about stuff like that. Now who’s the childish one…? All I’m saying is, you guys better try it out tonight.” She looks over at Shintaro who hadn’t said a word. “That means you too, Shintaro!”

“…All right.” Even though Shintaro had about as little belief in the Midnight Channel as Kazunari, he makes a mental note to try it when he was home.

* * *

 

Dinner with Nanako was silent that evening, and Shintaro tried to think of a way to lighten his little cousin’s mood. “Don’t worry.”

“…Yeah,” Nanako replies, still staring down at her food.

A moment of awkward silence followed soon after that made Shintaro wish he hadn’t said anything. At the sound of the front door sliding open, the green-haired teen breathed out a sigh of relief as Nanako’s dejected face turned into one of excited happiness.

“Oh! He’s home!” Nanako gets to her feet as Dojima makes his way into the living room.

“What a day…” Dojima shakes his head before making his way to the table. “I’m back. Did anything happen while I was out?”

“No. You’re late again…” Nanako says, frowning.

Dojima gives her an apologetic look. “I’m sorry… Been busy at work.” He takes a seat at the couch behind the low table. “Can you put the news on for me?”

Nanako sits down and switches the television to the news channel.

“ _Next, more details in the developing story on the incident in foggy Inaba. Announcer Yamano Mayumi’s dead body was found hanging above a house in this isolated rural town. It is confirmed that Ms. Yamano had been involved in an affair with Namatame Taro, husband of enka singer Hiiragi Misuzu._ ” Shintaro wondered if the murder was somehow related to this love affair… “ _The police plan to investigate this relationship and question any personnel involved with them. In addition, we now bring you an exclusive interview with the local student who found Ms. Yamano’s body._ ”

Dojima sighs. “An interview with the kid…? Where the hell did they find her?”

“ _What went through your mind when you saw it? Could you tell she was dead? Did you see her face?_ ” The reporter on the screen seemed a bit too excited to be interviewing the girl whose features were blurred over (even so, Shintaro thought he recognized her from somewhere). He could notice the girl fidgeting nervously at the questions she was asked, and Shintaro badly wished he could reach through the screen and punch that reporter in the face.

“ _U-umm…_ ” the girl’s distorted voice starts.

“ _Don’t you think it’s scary that someone was killed on a foggy day?_ ” The reporter continues on with his unrelenting questions.

“ _Huh…? She was killed?_ ”

“ _Oh, errr… So did you see anyone suspicious around here?_ ”

“ _No, not really…_ ”

“ _We heard that you found it when you left school early. Did you have some personal business to take care of?_ ” Shintaro’s eye twitched. Okay, now this reporter is just _begging_ to be punched in the face.

“ _Huh? That’s…_ ”

Now that he looked closely, Shintaro could recognize the girl as Konishi Saki, the girl Kazunari is head over heels for. Once the interview was over, Shintaro was finally able to unclench his fist.

“ _—a tragedy that occurred near the local shopping district. Many storeowners are raising concerns about losing customers as a result…_ ”

Dojima just shakes his head at the television. “Hmph. If they lose more customers, it’ll be because you’re making such a stink about it…” Shintaro couldn’t have said it better himself.

A commentator was speaking on the news now. Shintaro recognized him as the jerk who “interviewed” Saki. “ _It really is a bizarre case, isn’t it? I mean, hanging someone upside down from an antenna… I’d have to say it’s a warning or a sign from the culprit._ ”

“ _Yes, but so far, no one has come forward to take credit for the crime._ ”

Dojima begins to yawn. “Loads of prank calls, though…”

“ _So the cause of death is still unknown? And they don’t have a single suspect yet? Taxpayers’ funds are going to a police force who can’t even figure out if this is an accident or a homicide?_ ”

Oh, so now the reporter is taking a jab at the police? Midorima looked over his shoulder and noticed that Dojima’s eyes are closed. Had he fallen asleep?

“ _We’ll be right back after these messages._ ”

“ _At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products!_ ” Of course the first commercial to come up would be the Junes one… “ _Every day’s great at your Junes!_ ”

“Every day’s great at your Junes!” Nanako sings a moment after.

Shintaro swears his little cousin’s singing was the only thing that made the Junes theme at least a bit more tolerable.

“Hey Dad… Can we go to Junes together sometime?” Nanako asks while still looking at the television.

Only a light snoring sound could be heard from Dojima’s seat at the couch. _Yup_ , Shintaro thought. _He fell asleep._

“…No?” Nanako finally turns her head to look at her father who was now snoring a bit more loudly. “Geez…”

* * *

 

It was nearing midnight, and Shintaro could hear the rain still pouring outside. He decided to count down the last few minutes before midnight while sitting at the couch in his room. Even at this moment, he didn’t believe Riko’s story was true. When there were merely seconds left, Shintaro stood and made his way to the television. Seconds on the clock ticked by, and there was still no image on the screen when the clock showed it was a few seconds past midnight. Shintaro shakes his head and turns around, but the moment he does, the television switches on. He couldn’t see past all the static, but he was certain he could see the figure of a teenage girl who seemed to be writhing in pain.

The moment the television switched back off, a voice that sounded strangely like Shintaro’s own rang through his head. “ **I am thou. Thou art I. Thou art the one who opens the door…** ”

Shintaro somehow felt drawn to the television screen, and he reached out his hand to touch it… only for his arm to pass through it as if the screen itself was made of water. The teen stared on in bewilderment before an unknown force on the other side pulled at him until his head was pulled through the screen. Shintaro was thankful that the television in his room was small as he managed to push himself out with the arm that was not being eaten by the television. However, the momentum of his push caused him to lose his balance, and he eventually fell to the ground, hitting his head on the low table behind him.

Shintaro clutched at his head in pain before he heard the voice of his younger cousin outside his door. “Are you okay…?”

“Sorry, I’m okay. Did I wake you up?” Shintaro answers.

“I heard a really loud noise… Well, goodnight.” Nanako’s soft footsteps told Shintaro that she went back to her room.

After a few moments, Shintaro stared back at his television screen in terrified amazement. What in the world just happened…?


	4. Thursday, April 14, 2011

Shintaro was interrupted on his walk to school by Riko who shoved herself under his umbrella. “Perfect timing! Sorry, move over!”

He complied, holding his umbrella up so that he and Riko could keep dry from the rain. “Do you not have your own?”

The girl gave a nervous laugh. “I did have my own, but I saw this kung-fu movie where they used an umbrella to pull off some sweet moves… And… I accidentally broke mine trying to mimic the movie.”

Shintaro resisted the urge to face palm. “Riko-san…”

Riko laughs again before changing the subject. “By the way… did you see it!?”

Knowing what she was referring to, he gave a nod.

The brunette smiled, “Aha, do tell. But the person it showed…” She stared down at the ground in thought before looking back up. “Never mind. I’ll save it for when the others are around. We’re gonna be late for school.”

The two continued on their walk to school until Riko suddenly realized something and stopped. “Oh… U-uh…”

“What is it?” Shintaro asked, turning to her.

“I-it’s kinda awkward to only bring this up now, but… we’re pretty close here…” She looked out into the pouring rain. “U-um, I’m gonna just go ahead and run the rest of the way!”

Shintaro shakes his head. “Forget it. You’ll catch a cold like that.”

“Oh… R-right. Good point!” Riko makes a thoughtful face. “If I catch a cold, it could spread… and that’d suck for everyone! Yeah, I think I’ll keep going with you. Hahahahah… Alright, let’s go.”

With that, the two set off again towards their school.

* * *

 

It was now time for World History and Shintaro couldn’t help but stare at the teacher who was apparently going to teach this class. Was that an ancient Egyptian headdress!? …And she was holding an Egyptian crook in her right hand as well. The green-haired teen sweats nervously. How did she even obtain those…?

“Hello, everyone. My name is Sofue Kimiko, and I don’t know how much you know about world history, but I’m an expert.”

 _I don’t doubt you for one second, Ms. Sofue…_ Shintaro ends up thinking in his mind.

“First, a little about me,” Ms. Sofue continues. “I love to use my dowser to look for lost items, and there’s nothing quite like a romance. In fact, world history is a magnificent romance. History is like a river, it was born in the past and flows ever forward. I hope we can all enjoy the profundity of history together. Hohoho. And since this is my first lecture, I’ll start with an easy question. Our transferee, Mr. Midorima, please stand up.”

He stands from his desk at the teacher’s command and waits for the question.

“The western calendar is based on Anno Domini, the traditionally believed year of Jesus Christ’s birth. What is the year before 1 AD called?”

Really? That question seemed almost too easy. “1 BC.”

“Ah, you seem to understand this well.” Ms. Sofue looked cheerful. “If you think that history is like math, 0 AD would be the natural assumption, but world history is much more complicated. The Gregorian calendar we use today is based on the Julian calendar, which was made while there was no concept of the zero as a number. That’s why, when counting backwards, we go from 1 AD straight to 1 BC. Hopefully that was a nice introduction to world history… Good job, Mr. Midorima. You may now sit.”

Shintaro sat down, feeling smarter than how he felt before he stood up. He felt as if he could get along well with this teacher.

* * *

 

As Shintaro was packing his belongings into his bag he overheard two girls who seemed to be talking about the murder from two days ago.

“What’s up with the body being hung upside-down? That’s so freaky!”

“Is it supposed to be like, mimicking an execution? It’s messed up…”

“My senpai told me it was a third-year named Saki who found the body.”

Shintaro then heard slow footsteps coming from behind him and turned to see Kazunari approach him.

“Y-yo. Um…” the boy struggles to find the right words to speak. “It’s, uh, it’s not really that important, but… Well, yesterday on TV, I…” Kazunari paused again before finally shaking his head. “Oh, uhh… Never mind. Look, I’ll tell you later. Ahaha…”

Riko was the next person to walk up to them. “Kazunari, did you hear the rumor? Saki-senpai’s supposedly the one who discovered that body.”

Kazunari looks down in worried thought. “I wonder if that’s why she looked so down… She doesn’t seem to be at school today either.”

Satsuki suddenly stands, probably about to leave like the day before.

“Huh?” Riko takes notice immediately. “Hey Satsuki, are you helping out at the inn today too?”

The pink-haired girl turns to face her friend. “Things are really out of hand right now… I’m sorry.” Satsuki then turns to leave.

“Is it just me, or does Satsuki-san seem way stressed out today?” Kazunari asks.

“I guess they’re running her ragged…” Riko answers, obviously worried for her friend. She then looks up at Kazunari, having just remembered something. “By the way, did you see… it… last night?”

“Huh…? Uh, well… What about you?” He deflects the question back onto her.

“I did!” Riko exclaims. “I seriously saw a girl! But… my soulmate’s a girl? What’s that supposed to mean? I couldn’t tell who it was, but it was a girl for sure… Her hair was brown, about shoulder length. She was wearing our school uniform, and…”

A look of surprise crosses Kazunari’s face. “Hey… I think that’s the same person I saw. I couldn’t make out that much detail, though. The image I saw was much blurrier…”

“Wait, so you saw it too!? And we saw the same girl…? Does that mean… we have the same soulmate?”

“How should I know?” Kazunari turns to Shintaro. “How ‘bout you? Did you see it?”

Shintaro nods and tells them not only about what he saw but also what happened immediately after. It was apparent that the other two didn’t believe the latter half of the story, but Shintaro tried.

“It sounds like we all saw the same person… But weird voices aside, what was that about getting sucked into your TV…?” Kazunari smiles jokingly. “Were you that tired last night? You must’ve just fallen asleep in front of your TV.”

“That’d be one interesting dream, though,” Riko says. “I like the part where you got stuck ‘cause your TV was too small. That’s pretty realistic.”

 _It’s realistic because it actually happened_ , Shintaro thought bitterly, _but you two won’t believe me…_

“If it had been bigger—” Riko suddenly looks up as a thought crosses her mind. “Ohhh, that reminds me. Our family’s been talking about buying a bigger TV.”

“Oh yeah? Well, flat-screen TVs are definitely in these days.” Kazunari winks. “Wanna go check ‘em out on the way back? We’re beefing up our electronics department this month.”

Riko smiles widely at the offer. “Oh, definitely! My parents don’t know anything about electronics, and I’ve just gotta see my kung-fu movies on the big screen! Hwa-taaaa!” She then goes into one of those ridiculous kung-fu poses before settling back down.

Kazunari sweats nervously before turning to Shintaro. “We’ve got some pretty big ones in stock. I bet they’d be big enough for you to fit into, hehe.”

Shintaro frowns at the other’s jest. “…I don’t appreciate you making fun of my story,” he says before following the other two out the classroom door.

* * *

 

The three made it to the electronics department at Junes where Riko takes one look at the largest television on display before taking a staggering step back. “Wow, this is huge! And… Holy crap, it’s expensive! Who buys something like this?”

Kazunari shrugs. “I dunno… Rich folks? Honestly, not many people shop for TVs here. That’s why we don’t have clerks around.”

“Huh… Not worth trying then, I guess. Well, at least looking’s free,” the brunette says.

Riko and Kazunari then lock eyes, sharing mischievous grins before walking closer to the television and pressing their hands to the screen. Neither of their hands passed through the screen, and Shintaro looked on in dismay. He can’t believe they were making fun of him like this…

“…Nope, can’t get in. Figures,” Kazunari says, stepping back.

Riko laughs. “This proves it. It was all just a dream.”

“Besides, these flat-screen TVs are so thin, you’d just end up on the other side…” Kazunari falls silent, shaking his head. “Argh, what am I saying!? So, Riko. What kind of TV are you guys in the market for?”

“They said they wanted one that’s cheap. You got any suggestions?” she asks.

Kazunari walks Riko over to one of the smaller flat-screens on display and clears his throat, adopting his sales person voice as he does so. “Well, Miss, might I suggest this one over here? It’s the newest model, just released this spring…”

“Wha—that’s not cheap at all! There’s way too many zeroes!” Riko exclaims.

Kazunari switches back to his normal voice. “I should’ve asked what you meant by ‘cheap’ right off the bat.”

“You’ve got connections, right? C’mon, hook me up!”

The raven-haired teen shakes his head at that. “You know I can’t do that… Hey, how about this one over here? It’s a display unit. It’s a little old, but…”

Shintaro ignores the rest of the conversation and looks back at the large flat-screen. With a screen that large, he really might be able to go inside… The green-haired teen nods to himself, having made up his mind, and steps up to the television. When he puts his hand up to the screen, it slips through; much like it had the night before.

“Oh yeah, Shintaro, what kind of TV do you—” Kazunari chose that time to look over at Shintaro, and his silver-blue eyes widen comically in disbelief.

“Huh? Something wrong, Kazunari?” Riko notices how Kazunari cuts off, and casually looks over to what has him so stunned.

“I-is his arm… in the TV…?” he manages to stutter out.

Riko looks on in amazement. “Whoa…”

“I told you so,” Shintaro says, giving them both a withering look.

“Uhhh… Is that some kinda… new model? L-like with a new function?” Riko asks, still in denial.

“Hell no!” Kazunari exclaims.

The two then run over to either side of Shintaro.

“You gotta be kidding me…” Riko says as she looks up close. “Did you really stick your hand through the screen?”

Kazunari finally accepted what he was seeing before him into his brain. “Oh man… This is for real… That’s some magic trick, man! So how’s it work, huh!? What’s the magician’s secret!?”

“There’s no secret. I just put my hand up to the screen,” Shintaro replies before pondering something. He rests his hands over the bottom frame of the television screen and sticks his head into the rippling portal.

“H-hey, don’t do that! What’re you doing!?” Kazunari visibly panics.

“Oh my God!!” Riko shrieks, also panicking.

“Hmm… there’s a lot of empty space inside,” Shintaro says calmly as he looks around.

“Wh-what do you mean, ‘inside’!?”

“Wh-what do you mean, ‘empty space’!?”

Shintaro rolls his eyes and continues to make observations of the other world to the two behind him. “It seems very spacious in here…”

“Wh-what do you mean, ‘spacious’!?”

“I mean, what’s going on!?”

Shintaro started shaking with silent laughter. He knew he shouldn’t find this funny, but he did, and the two behind him weren’t helping as they were the source of all this hilarity.

“I see you laughing over there! Don’t think I can’t see you just because your head’s poking into the screen!” Kazunari yells before turning his head, eyes widening as he spots customers. “Shit! Customers! They’re coming!”

“What!? But we’ve got a guy half stuck in the TV here! Wh-what’re we gonna do!?” Riko’s voice makes a high-pitched squeak near the end.

The two begin running around frantically before they both collide into Shintaro, causing him to lose his balance and fall through the screen, Riko and Kazunari following close behind.

* * *

 

There was a long drop from where they first entered into the unknown world that none of them were prepared for.

“Ow, I landed right on my wallet,” Kazunari says rubbing his backside as he sits up.

“Man, where the heck are we?” Riko looks around.

The world on this side was covered in a thick, yellow fog that extended for as far as the eye can see.

“What is this place? Someplace inside Junes?” the girl still wonders as she stands alongside the other two.

“Hell no, it isn’t,” Kazunari answers looking around at what seems to look like a filming studio. “I mean, we fell through a TV! Actually, uh… what is going on here?”

Shintaro shakes his head. “I have no clue.”

“So… uh… we’re still alive… Right?” Riko asks, looking towards the other two.

“Are you two okay?” Shintaro asks. “That was a bit of a long fall…”

“I think my butt’s cracked now…” Kazunari replies in pain.

“Of course it is!” Riko replies at the same moment Shintaro says: “No one needs to hear that, Kazunari…”

“Whoa!” Kazunari says as he takes a better look around him.

“Wh-what now!?” the brunette asks, suddenly alert.

“Take a look around!”

“Is this… a studio?” she says once she takes a better look at her surroundings. “All this fog… Or is it smoke? There’s no place like this in Inaba, is there…?”

“Hell no…”

Shintaro turns to Kazunari. “You’ve been saying that a lot today.”

“Oh, be quiet. This isn’t the time for that…” Kazunari takes another look around. “But man… this place is huge…”

“What’re we gonna do…?” Riko asks, turning to Shintaro.

“Let’s look around,” he answers.

“Huh? B-but… Look, we need to get home and—!” She looks around for an exit but doesn’t find one in sight. “H-huh…? Wait a minute… Which way did we come in from? I don’t see a way in… or out!”

“What? That can’t be right! H-how could that be!?” Kazunari panics when he doesn’t see an exit either.

“I don’t know! Don’t ask me!” Riko shoots back, agitated. “I can’t take this anymore! I wanna go home!”

“Okay… so how!?” Kazunari asks, equally agitated.

“Why don’t we all just calm down?” Shintaro cuts in before the argument escalates even further.

“Y-you’re right.” Taking deep breaths, Kazunari relaxes his tense shoulders. “Okay… okay. All right, so we need to find a way out.”

Riko looks to the other two nervously. “Is there really a way out of here…?”

“We got in… so we must be able to get out somehow,” he reasons.

“That’s true, but…” Riko looks to the ground dejectedly.

“If there’s no exit, we’re trapped, so let’s cross our fingers and look around.”

Everyone else nods at Kazunari’s suggestion, and they all venture further into the foggy world together. Eventually, the three find a place that looks somewhat like an eerie apartment complex. At the end of the hall, there was a doorway into someone’s apartment, but in place of a door, there was some sort of red-and-black vortex swirling outwards from the middle.

Before they continued further down the hall, Riko stops and speaks up. “What is this place…? It feels different from where we were before…”

“It looks like we’re in some kinda building, but… Damn, this fog’s so thick, I can hardly see,” Kazunari answers.

Riko visibly grows nervous. “Are you sure we’re not wandering farther away?”

The raven-haired teen sighs heavily. “I can’t be positive, but we’ve gotta trust our instinct a little.”

“I know, but…”

“Come on, I see a doorway up ahead,” Shintaro says, coaxing Riko into following him and Kazunari.

The room they walked into looked like a regular bedroom with a bed sitting in the corner closest to the window and a potted plant next to it. The walls were lined with several of the same poster, but the faces were all torn out, so they couldn’t make out who it was a poster of.

Kazunari is the first to speak up. “Hey, is it me or is the fog lighter here?”

Shintaro nods. “It does look a little lighter here.”

The raven-haired teen nods in response before taking his phone out from his pocket and flipping it open. “No service. What a surprise…”

“Can’t you guys slow down a little?” The two boys turn around to see Riko walking in through the doorway. “It’s hard enough to see where you’re going…” She walks further into the room before turning around to look at the door-side of the room. “Huh? What the…!? It’s a dead end! There’s no exit!”

There were more of the torn posters covering the walls and even the closet doors. Yellow and red paint (at least Shintaro hoped it was red paint and not something else entirely…) were splattered on the walls and floor.

“It keeps getting creepier and creepier the further we go…” Kazunari comments before plopping down into the chair that was placed in the center of the room.

“What’s with this room?” Riko asks before examining the posters. “Check out these posters… Their faces are all cut out… Someone must really hate this person…”

Kazunari looks nervously around him and finally takes notice of the rope and scarf tied together in a noose hanging above his head. He immediately jumps out of the chair and backs away from it. “Guys… this chair and rope… That kind of arrangement is never good… It’s tied in a noose… Is this a scarf?”

Riko seems even more anxious to leave. “C’mon… Let’s go back to where we came from and look somewhere else for an exit…”

Kazunari pauses in the doorway when they turn to leave and stares hard at one of the posters. “Hey… I think I’ve seen that poster before…”

“Who _cares_!? Let’s go! I’m sick of this place!” Riko exclaims. “And I’m not feeling so good…”

“Now that you mention it, me too…” Kazunari replies thoughtfully. “Alright, let’s go back. I’m seriously starting to feel sick…”

* * *

 

Riko breathed a sigh of relief once they all arrived at the studio. “Whew… We finally made it back here… Wait… What’s that…?”

The two with her turn their heads and step back in alarm at what they see. Well, all they could see was a silhouette, but it wasn’t shaped like a person. It was standing on two legs, but the rest of its body was round, and there were a pair of pointy ears sticking out of the top, presumably the head.

“Th-there’s something over there!” Kazunari confirms in alarm.

The silhouette then walks up to them with squeaky footsteps, and they could finally see… a walking dog mascot?

“What is this thing? A wolf? A dog…?” Riko ponders.

“What in the world…?” Kazunari asks, looking back at the costume in awe.

“Th-that’s what I wanna know! Who are you guys…?”

Everyone took a step back from the dog mascot when they realized it spoke.

“It talked!!” Riko couldn’t help but go on the defensive. “Wh-what are you!? Y-you wanna fight!?”

The mascot-dog-thing cowers in fear, holding its shivering head with its paws. “D-don’t yell at me like that…”

“What is this place?” Shintaro asks the dog calmly.

The dog stops cowering and turns to Shintaro. “This place is what it is. It doesn’t have a name. It’s where I live.”

Kazunari tilts his head questioningly. “You… live here?”

The dog waved off his question. “If I was you guys, I’d hurry back to the other side. Someone’s been throwing people in here. It’s a big headache.”

“Huh? Throwing people in? What’re you talking about?” Kazunari asks.

The dog seemed to grow frustrated at the question as it stomped its foot on the ground. “I dunno who’s doing it! I just want them to think before they go doing things like that!”

“Hey, what’s your problem? What gives _you_ the right to yell at us like that!?” Riko yells back, sending the dog costume back into a cowering position. “What _are_ you!? Where are we!? What the heck is going on here!?”

The dog costume runs around them and then hides behind Shintaro since he was the only one who looked calm and collected. “I already told you…” it says with drooping ears and sad cerulean eyes. “A-anyways, you should hurry back.”

“What it comes down to is, you want us to get outta here, right? Well, so do we! We just don’t know how, dammit!” Kazunari exclaims.

“Grrrr! That’s why I’m saying I’ll let you out!” The dog then taps the ground twice and a stack of televisions suddenly appear out of thin air.

“What the hell!?” Kazunari could only stare at the stack of televisions.

“Where did those TVs come from!?” Riko asks.

The bear then steps behind the three and begins to push them towards the televisions. “Okay, now go, go, get outta here! I’m a busy hound!”

Before they all knew it, the trio found themselves sitting around the large flat-screen in the electronics department at Junes.

“Huh? Is this…?” Riko looks up at the familiar Junes theme playing through the speakers.

“Did we… make it back?” Kazunari asks as they all move to stand.

“ _Attention, shoppers. Our daily limited-time sale will now begin at the side dish area on the first floor. Why not try the delicious, fresh produce Junes picked for you this morning as your side dish for dinner tonight? All ages are invited to take advantage of this incredible bargain!_ ”

When the intercom shuts off, Kazunari looks down at his watch. “Crap, it’s already that late!?”

Riko sighs. “Looks like we were in there for quite a while…”

“That’s right…” Kazunari stares off at a nearby poster. “Now I remember where I saw that poster before… Look over there! That’s the poster we saw!”

Riko nods her head in recognition “Hey, you’re right, they’re the same. I couldn’t tell before without the face, but it was Hiiragi Misuzu… She’s been all over the news lately. Something about… her husband having an affair with that announcer lady who died the other day.”

“Hey, so does that mean…?” Kazunari taps his chin. “That weird room we saw… Could it be related to that Yamano lady’s death…? Now that I think about it… there was that creepy noose hanging from the ceiling… Yaaargh, stop! No more! We gotta stop thinking about this. I’m gonna wipe what happened today from my brain. I don’t think my poor heart can take anymore.”

Riko nods. “I’m feeling a chill too… Let’s go home… I wanna lie down and rest.”

With that the three say their goodbyes and make their way to their respective homes.

* * *

 

When Shintaro steps into the house, he’s surprised to see Dojima sitting with Nanako at the table in the living room.

“Hey, welcome home,” Dojima greets him.

Shintaro walks over and plops down at his seat at the table. He felt tired from his day inside the television, but it wasn’t like he could tell anyone other than the two who were with him about this…

“Uh—Hmm…” Dojima looks as if he wants to tell Shintaro something. “Well, I doubt you’d know… But have you heard anything about a girl named Konishi Saki?”

“She wasn’t at school today,” Shintaro answers.

“Oh. I see…” Dojima looks off at the television before turning back to Shintaro. “To be honest… we got a call from her family. She’s disappeared. We’ve got people looking for her, but she hasn’t been found yet…” He sighs. “Work just keeps piling up…”

“ _And now, more on the case still casting a shadow over the foggy town of Inaba. Not long ago, television announcer Yamano Mayumi was found dead in the small town. Up until now, her whereabouts prior to her death had been unknown. But the police investigation has found that she had been staying at the region’s famous Momoi Inn._ ”

Shintaro immediately recognizes the name. It’s the inn Satsuki’s family runs, if he can recall correctly.

“ _She had apparently been staying there alone. Perhaps she was taking a vacation to recover from her ordeal…?_ ”

“ _Oh yes, the Momoi Inn! Their hot springs are first-rate._ ”

Shintaro’s eye twitches. _It’s that jerk reporter again…_

“ _The manager’s teenage daughter also works there, and it’s rumored that she’ll take over the inn this spring. If that happens, she’ll be one of the youngest managers on record! I should book another trip there!_ ”

“ _Uhh… I-I see… Moving along, it’s time for the weather report. The rain has begun to subside. From now until morning heavy fog warnings will be in effect in the Inaba region. Visibility will be severely reduced, so please be careful if you plan on driving in the area…_ ”

Nanako looks down at the two instant ramen bowls on the table. “Is the ramen ready now?”

“Give it some more time,” Dojima answers.

At that instant, Shintaro sneezes into his sleeve. Ah, he was already feeling worse from his day in the TV world…

Dojima turns to him. “Are you sick? You’re probably adjusting to the new environment. Nanako, could you get him some cold medicine?” The small girl nods and runs off to the medicine cabinet. “You should get to bed after you take it.”

“Yes sir,” the teen nods before taking the medicine Nanako handed him.

When he makes it back into his room that night, Shintaro falls onto his futon and doesn’t wake up until the next morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, I was a little late in getting this chapter out since I kinda stopped playing Persona 4 Golden for a week so that I could play Persona 4 Dancing All Night. And let me tell you, that game is so addicting and fun, but I guess it's only because all of my favorite songs relating to Persona 4 are in there, haha.
> 
> And yes, I'm putting Nigou in as the weird dog mascot thing. For those who aren't familiar with Persona 4, look up pictures of Teddie from Persona 4, and that should give you an idea of how Nigou now looks. Just give him big blue eyes, replace the bear features with some of his own, and yeah. Now you have Nigou in mascot form.


	5. Friday, April 15, 2011 (Part 1)

When Shintaro got downstairs after finishing his morning routine, he caught Dojima as he was getting ready to leave.

“Ah, you’re up,” he says, giving a nod to Shintaro before turning for the door. “Well, I’m off.”

When the door closed, Nanako walked up to her older cousin. “…Dad has to go do something. He got a call, so he left.” She gave a worried glance to the door despite her calm explanation.

* * *

 

The walk to school was another dreary one through the rain, but at least Shintaro had his umbrella to keep him dry. As he was walking, he couldn’t help but overhear a couple female students gossiping with each other.

“When I looked, I saw three police cars zooming by.”

“You live by the police station, don’t you? Did you hear anything?”

“I heard some yelling, but nothing more. Total disappointment.”

“Geez, you need to pay more attention to stuff like that. How else are we supposed to get the juicy stories?”

After hearing about the gossip, Shintaro could hear police sirens nearby. _It must be another incident… Well… I guess I’ll hear more about it when I get to school._

* * *

 

And Shintaro was right to assume he’d find out more when every student was ushered into the gymnasium for a sudden school assembly that afternoon. He could hear a few students gossiping nearby as more students got settled.

“Hey… Did you see it yesterday?”

“Of course not… What, is that rumor for real?”

“I dunno, but it seems like a lot of people have seen it.”

Riko flipped shut her cellphone before placing it inside her tracksuit jacket pocket and turning to Shintaro and Kazunari behind her. “Satsuki said she’d be here after lunch… I wonder why they’re holding a school assembly all of a sudden.” When Riko looked over at Kazunari, who was staring down at his shoes, her expression grew worried. “…Hey, what’s wrong, Kazunari?”

Kazunari looks up from his shoes, his expression kept strictly neutral. “Oh, it’s nothing…”

From the podium onstage, Ms. Sofue begins to speak. “Everyone, please settle down. The school assembly is about to begin. First, the Principal has something to say.” She steps over to the side of the podium to allow an elderly man with a long white beard to step up to it.

“I… regret to say that I have a terrible announcement for all of you. One of our third-year students, Ms. Konishi Saki of Class 3… has passed away.”

“Passed away…!?” Riko parrots, shock reaching her eyes.

Shintaro notices the way Kazunari’s shoulders tense in distress. If only he could find the right thing to say in this sort of situation, but comforting people was never part of his forte.

The Principal continued on, despite all the ruckus caused by the shocked and distressed students. “Ms. Konishi was found deceased early this morning… The reasons behind her passing are currently under investigation by the police. If they ask you for your cooperation, I urge you, as students of this school, to provide only the facts. All right, please quiet down… I have been assured by the faculty that there’s been no evidence that bullying was involved in the incident. So mind what you say, not only to the police but to anyone who asks…”

“Found dead…? How could this happen…?” Riko briefly shoots a worried glance at an abnormally silent Kazunari as the Principal’s address continues.

* * *

 

When Riko and Shintaro were making their way back from the gymnasium, leaving Kazunari some time to compose himself, they overheard two students talking by the stairwell.

“She died the same way as that announcer, right? That’s so creepy…”

“Well, last time, it was from an antenna, but this time she was hanging from a telephone pole. It’s gotta be a serial murder case…”

“Someone said the cause of death was some unknown poison.”

“Unknown…? C’mon, this isn’t some sci-fi drama. Oh, by the way, did you hear? Someone saw a girl that looked like Saki on that Midnight Channel thingie. They said she totally looked like she was in pain. Isn’t that scary?”

“Haha, sounds like someone had a nightmare. The media’s been broadcasting their interviews with her nonstop, so maybe they just had Saki on the brain.”

The two students walked off, still talking about the rumors and unaware of the other two students who overheard them.

“Sheesh, it’s easy to toss around theories if you’re not personally involved…” Riko says in disdain.

Kazunari slowly approaches them, a serious expression crossing his face. “Hey… Did you guys check out the TV last night?”

“Kazunari! Not you too!” Riko exclaims, exasperated.

“Just listen for a sec!” Kazunari yells back, quieting Riko in the process. “Something kept bothering me, so… I watched it again, and… I think the girl on the screen was Saki-senpai. There’s no mistaking it…” The raven-haired teen shivers, thinking back to what he saw the night before. “Senpai looked like… she was writhing in pain… And then… she disappeared from the screen.”

“What…?” Riko tilts her head.

“You heard Senpai’s body was found in a similar situation as that announcer’s, right…? Well, remember that guy you told us about? How he was all excited that his soulmate was the announcer? Maybe… Just maybe, but… Ms. Yamano might’ve been on that Midnight Channel before she died, too.”

At Kazunari’s theory, Riko shivers. “What’s that supposed to mean…? Hold on… Are you saying…? People who appear on that TV… die…?”

Kazunari shakes his head. “I can’t say for sure. But something tells me… I just can’t dismiss it as coincidence. Plus, remember what that dog thing said? How that place was dangerous, and we should leave before the fog clears…? It also said that someone’s been throwing people in there. And that room with the posters on the wall… It has to have something to do with that announcer’s death. I mean, don’t you think there’s some kind of connection there? Couldn’t that world in the TV have something to do with Senpai and the announcer’s death!?” When Riko kept silent, Kazunari turned to Shintaro. “Well…? What do you think…?”

Shintaro ponders for a few seconds before nodding. “You might be right.”

“…So it’s not just me, huh?” Kazunari nods to himself. “If there is a connection, then it’s a good bet that the two of them went inside that world. That would explain the posters in that room. Which means… if we look around, we might find a place that has something to do with Senpai, too.”

Riko shakes her head, now getting where Kazunari is going with all of this. “Kazunari, don’t tell me…”

Kazunari gives her a firm nod, having already made up his mind. “Yeah… I’m thinking about going in again. I want to find out for myself.”

Riko shakes her head, wanting desperately for Kazunari to change his mind. “D-don’t do this… You should just let the police handle this and—”

“You think we can rely on the police!?” he interrupts, clearly agitated. “They haven’t made any progress on the announcer’s case. Besides, even if we told them about the world inside the TV, there’s no way they’re gonna believe us! If I’m completely off-base with this, that’s fine… It’s just… I need to know why Senpai had to die like this.”

Riko looks down at her feet in defeat. “Kazunari…”

“After what I’ve seen and what I’ve put together, there’s no way I can ignore it now…” Kazunari turns, facing Shintaro with a look of apology. “Sorry, but you’re the only person who can help me. I’m gonna go get ready. I’ll be waiting for you at Junes.”

With that, he runs off to the exit, leaving the other two to look on after him.

“I can kinda understand how he feels…” Riko admits, turning to Shintaro. “But we can’t be sure we’ll be able to get out safely again. What should we do…?”

“We should go with him,” Shintaro decides. “If anything happens over there, we should be able to get back if we find that dog again.”

“Y-you serious…?” Riko briefly looks towards the front doors. “Anyways, let’s go to Junes. We can’t leave Kazunari alone…”

* * *

 

The two were met with an odd sight when they arrived at the electronics department at Junes. In one hand, Kazunari was holding a long rope, which had one end of it tied around his waist, and the other hand was holding a golf club.

When the raven-haired teen saw them approaching, he wore a happy grin on his face. “You guys came…!”

“We came to stop you, idiot!” Riko corrected. “C’mon… You really shouldn’t do this. It’s too dangerous.”

“I know… But we were able to come back once, right?” Kazunari reasoned. “If we go in from the same location, maybe we’ll meet that dog again.”

“‘Maybe’ isn’t good enough!” the girl argued.

“Look, I can’t just act like everyone else and pretend this has nothing to do with me.”

“That’s true, but…”

“What about you?” Kazunari asks, turning to Shintaro. “Could you just walk away?”

“I’m worried about Riko-san,” Shintaro replies. “There’s no telling what might happen over there…”

Kazunari nods. “Yeah, it’ll just be you and me.” The teen then turns to Riko. “Don’t worry, I’m not going in without a plan. Riko, I’m leaving you in charge of this.”

“Huh? A rope…?” Riko takes the offered rope into her hands.

“We’ll go in with this tied to me, so I want you to hold on to this and wait here,” Kazunari explains.

“Wh-what? Then, this is a lifeline? C’mon, wait a sec…”

Kazunari ignores her and turns to Shintaro. “Here, Shintaro… This is for you.”

“Um… Thanks…” Shintaro takes the golf club and what looks like a few tablets of Medicine into his hands.

“I thought it might be better than going in empty-handed.” Kazunari winks. “Alright… Let’s go. There’s no use wasting any more time. Riko, whatever you do, don’t let go of the rope!”

The two boys nod to each other and plunge head-first into the television, ignoring Riko’s cries of protest. When the two disappeared into the screen, Riko stood in front of it, silently feeding the rope into the screen. When the rope suddenly stopped pulling, Riko tried tugging at it, only for a chopped off end to pop out of the television screen.

The girl fell to her knees as a look of despair crossed her face. “See…? I knew this wasn’t gonna work… Now what…?”

* * *

 

One ungraceful landing later, Shintaro and Kazunari found themselves standing inside the strange studio once again.

“Is this…? Look, this is the same place as last time! So they are connected from place to place!” Kazunari says happily.

“Y-you guys… Why’d you come back…?” The dog mascot stepped out from the thick fog. It paused as it seemed to realize something and stomped its foot in frustration. “I get it! You’re the ones behind this!”

“You’re that thing from last time…!” Kazunari paused as he realized what the dog had said. “Wait, what the hell did you just say!?”

The dog costume turned its back on them. “Lately, I can tell someone’s been throwing people in here. It’s making this world more and more messed up…” It turns back around to look at the two boys. “This is the second time you guys came here. And I don’t think anyone forced you in. That means you’re the most suspicious! You guys must be the ones throwing people in here, grrrrr!”

“Don’t label us like that,” Shintaro says, shaking his head.

“What’re you talking about, ‘throwing people in’!?” Kazunari adds. “If someone was thrown in here and they couldn’t get out, they might die! Who would do such a—Wait a sec… All this talk about someone throwing people in here… Does he mean Senpai and the announcer? Did that ‘someone’ throw those two in here? H-hey… What do you think?”

“This is no coincidence,” Shintaro answers.

Kazunari nods. “Yeah… I agree. Let’s assume he’s telling the truth… Could it be that someone’s throwing people in here, intending to kill them…? If that’s the case…”

“What’re you guys mumbling about?” the dog asks, stomping its foot. “Why did you come here, anyways!? It’s a one-way door! You can’t get out once you’re in! Remember? How I had to let you guys out?”

“Yeah, whatever.” Kazunari reaches for the rope tied to his waist… “We don’t need your help this time! See, this time we have a lifeli—” …only to see that the rope was severed. “Whaaaaat!?” He lets the rope drop to his side as if it offended him and turns to the dog. “H-hey! You better let us out once we’re done investigating here!”

“Grrrrr! I’m the one who wants to investigate!” the dog argues. “I’ve lived here for a long time. But it’s never been noisy like this till now. Do you have proof!? Prove to me you’re not throwing people in here!”

Shintaro shakes his head. “It doesn’t work that way…”

The dog mascot rounds on him. “See! So it is you guys!”

“For the last time, it’s not us, so we’ve got nothing to prove to you!” Kazunari yells. “Hey, you better answer our questions. This isn’t like last time, when we came here by accident. We’re dead serious! Listen up, ‘cause people have died in our world… Every time the fog appears, a dead body shows up with it. It has to be related to this place somehow! If you know something, tell us!”

“A dead body? Whenever the fog appears…?” the dog questions. “I know that if it’s foggy on your side, the fog lifts here. It’s really dangerous when the fog lifts. That’s when the Shadows get violent.” The dog’s ears suddenly perk up as if he’s figured something out. “Aaaah… I get it…”

“Huh…? If you get it, then explain it to us, dammit!” Kazunari impatiently urges the dog on. “If it’s foggy on our side, it isn’t in here…? Shadows get violent…?”

“That’s why I said to hurry back! It’s dangerous when that happens!” The dog mascot explains. “Okay, no more questions. I know you guys did it! You better stop right now!”

“I’ve told you and told you, we’re not the ones doing it!” Kazunari says, barely containing his annoyance. “I’ve about had it with you… Why the hell won’t you listen to what we’re saying!?”

“I-I’m just saying… you might be the culprits,” the dog nervously tries to explain himself. “I’m just making sure…”

“What…?” Kazunari shakes his head. “Man, this dog’s driving me nuts… What is this place anyways? It looks like a TV studio… Is something being filmed here…? H-hey, don’t tell me… Is that weird show being filmed here!?”

The dog’s semi-circle shaped head tilts in confusion. “Weird show? Filmed? What does that mean?”

Kazunari seems to be at a bit of a loss for words. “Uh… I’m asking if someone’s been filming the people that get thrown in here.”

The dog is still staring at Kazunari in confusion. “Ehh…? I don’t get it… This world has always been like this. No one has ever done that ‘filming’ thing here.”

“Always been like this…?” Shintaro questions.

“Only me and Shadows are here! I told you before!” the dog explains.

“Ugh… We don’t know what these Shadow things are! Or what you are either, for that matter!” Kazunari says. “You keep telling us to prove our innocence, but you’re the most suspicious thing here! Maybe you’re the real culprit! And what’s with that stupid costume!? I’d say it’s time you showed your face!”

Kazunari makes a grab at the dog’s head and tugs at the zipper connecting the head to the rest of the body. When the head comes off, both Kazunari and Shintaro are met with a surprise. The inside… is completely empty! The costume is just talking and moving on its own!

“Whoa!” Kazunari drops the costume’s head in shock and takes a few steps back. “Wh-what the hell are you…? I-it’s empty inside…”

The dog costume’s arms search the ground until it finds its head and pops it back on. “Me…? The culprit…? I wouldn’t do such a thing… I just live here… I just want to live here peacefully… Okay. I’ll believe that you guys aren’t the culprits. But I want you to find the real guy who did all this. You have to stop him. Promise me, or else… I’m not gonna let you guys outta here.”

Kazunari’s face contorts with rage. “Y-you little…!”

“This can’t keep going on! My home here will be a complete mess!” the dog continues. “And then… and then… I… Waaah…”

“Wh-what’re you crying for all of a sudden…?” Kazunari asks, staring down at the sobbing dog costume. “Geez, this thing’s really weirding me out…” He sighs and turns to Shintaro. “Hey, what should we do?”

Shintaro thinks back to what the mysterious old man named Igor told him in that weird dream he had on the train. “ _It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you…_ ” Could this be what Igor was talking about? And what was the “contract” Igor spoke of…? He said only those who have signed a “contract” of some sort could enter the Velvet Room, didn’t he? Maybe the “contract” is the promise he’s about to make to the dog…?

“You’re the only ones I can ask. Will you promise me…?” the dog asks.

“It’s a promise,” Shintaro assures him with a soft smile.

“Th-thank you!” The dog costume leaps up happily.

Kazunari doesn’t look as thrilled. “Damn dog… practically holding a gun to our heads… But… it’s true that we came here to figure things out. So far, we’re completely in the dark. Look for the culprit, huh…? Bring it on! You got my word, too. Might as well introduce ourselves… I’m Takao Kazunari, and this is my buddy Midorima Shintaro. You got a name?”

“…Inu,” the dog answers.

Kazunari groans. “Figures… But how are we supposed to find the culprit in the first place?”

“I dunno…” Inu replies. “Oh, but I know where the last person came in.”

“The last person…?” Kazunari questions. “You mean Saki-senpai!?”

“I mean the person who came in and disappeared last time. I dunno the name,” Inu answers. “I’ll take you there. You might find clues. Oh, one thing first. You two should put these on.” The dog hands a pair of orange-framed glasses to Kazunari and a pair of clip-on lenses to Shintaro.

“What’re these glasses for…?” Kazunari questions. “I mean, my eyesight’s pretty good. Just not in this fog…”

“Put them on!” Inu says. “You’ll see why when you do.”

Kazunari put on the pair of glasses Inu gave him while Shintaro fitted the clip-ons onto his own pair. Once they were on, the duo looked around in surprise. Their vision suddenly became much sharper!

“Whoa!” Kazunari exclaims. “The difference is like night and day. With these on, it’s like the fog doesn’t exist.”

“They’ll help you walk through the fog,” Inu explains. “…Well, I’ve been here for a long time. So you can rely on me! Uh… But I can only show you where the place is. You guys will have to defend yourselves.”

“What happened to relying on you!? Th-there better not be any monsters! You understand!?” Kazunari does his best not to stutter. “We brought weapons, but I mean… They’re more for show!”

“A golf club is your idea of a weapon?” Shintaro mutters.

Kazunari pretends not to hear him. “We just got here! If it’s so dangerous, why don’t you do something instead of relying on us!?”

Inu shakes his head. “Uh-uh. No way. I’ve got no muscles. Oh! Oh! I’ll give you guys moral support from a safe distance! How’s that sound?”

“So you’re all bark and no bite, huh?” Kazunari asks, shaking his head.

Shintaro tilts his head as he looks at Inu. Can he really not fight…? He then steps up to the dog and tries touching him.

Inu immediately topples over, flailing around on his back as if he were a turtle. “N-noooo…”

Kazunari sweats nervously at the sight. “I-is this thing for real!? Ugh, this is so lame… We swore to find the culprit and this is all the backup we get…?”

Inu then stops flailing. “…Oh yeah. Can I ask you something? Who’s this Saki-senpai person? Someone you know?”

Kazunari keeps silent for a moment. “…That doesn’t matter right now… Anyways, at least now we know Senpai might’ve been thrown in here. Maybe we can find more information, too. Let’s get moving, Shintaro.”

Nodding, Shintaro helps Inu back up to his feet. He was the one who unintentionally pushed him down, after all…


End file.
